The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1887-10-21
A MYSTERIOUS FORCE.
How It Was Exerted and It's Hap
by Result.
THE FORCE EXERTED.

The collar-button fell There is
nothing mysterious in this statement,
for by reason of the force of gravita-
ton eXerted upon it, it could not do
otherwise than fall when unsupported.
But neither Sir Isaac Newton nor any
of the scientists of the present day
have discovered or classed that mys-
FERROUS force which causes collar
button, when it reaches the floor, to
roll away and secrete itself in some
out-of-the-way spot, utterly defying
human skill to penetrate its hiding
place. So, when the collar-button fell
from Clare Beverly's hand and disap-
peared-but we are getting way ahead
of our story, and as the correct way to
tell story is to begin at the "Once-
upon-a-time" point, we will begin
there.
Once upon time in one of the
''shires" of old England lived Sir
Arthur Stanford. Possessed of unlim-
tied estate and fortune, he was conse-
quently possessed of an unlimited
amount of family pride. And by rea-
son of the aforesaid family pride, when
his eldest son Arthur contracted a
marriage beneath his station, Sir
Arthur was induced to cut him off
from the paternal inheritance with the
proverbial shilling. So young Arthur
turned his back upon his ancestors do
mains, and with his personal effects
under one arm and his young wife
under the other. set his face in the di-
rection in which the Star of Empire"
is said to take its way.
Ten years later we might have seen
him settled with his wife and daughter
upon the banks of the Hudson, not far
from the great American metropolis.
He had grown with the country until
his possessions rivaled those of his
fathers. In the midst of his estates he
had erected massive, rambling
structure known as "The Hail. and
modelled somewhat after the paternal
homestead.
Ten years LATER we might have seen
him widower, and his daughter, a
beautiful girl just blossoming into
womanhood.
His possessions were larger and his
fortune greater.
Ten years more and we might have
seen q sullen old man with gray
streakcd hair, who lived all alone in
the great hail. The daughter had dis
appeared, none knew where.
Some said she had returned to
England, and others who claimed to
know more said she had run away
with a poor, struggling paragraph
writer, employed on one of the New
York Dailies. Be it as it may, the old
man never opened his lips in regard
10 her. never spoke her name.
When in the course of time he was
gathered to his fathers, and the will
opened and read, it was found that he
had left his entire estate to nephew,
named Clare Beverly. His daughters
name was not mentioned, and the Cos
sips, who claimed to know the most.
shook their heads wisely and whis-
pered, family pride"
For five years the old hall remained
tenantless, save for the presence of
the family house-keeper, and then
word was received to open up the house
as the new proprietor was about to
visit his estates
Glare Beverly was a man of about
thirty, strong, straight and handsome,
with honest blue eyes, and adeep-toned
voice that could at times command the
tender accents Of woman. Small
wonder then that possessing as he did
these qualifications, together with the
important addition of magnificent
fortune, he was received into the most
select circles of the Knickerbocker
aristocracy.
AT the time of the story we COM
menced to tell in so headlong a man.
ner, he had been located at the Hall
about five months.
At that particular point in the story
in which the title plays an important
part, Clare was dressing FOR an even
ing party, given at the home of Mrs
Van Kirke. Mrs. Van Kirko was
"blue-blood" whose family dated back
to the Colonial days. and as was ex-
pressed by one of her favored circle,
"One can always count on meeting
only the most select people at Mrs.
Van Kirke's."
Clare Beverly was in a condition pc
culiar to all human beings at one point
or another in the course of their exist
ence-he was in love. 1t was at Mrs.
Van Kirke's home he had met Ena
Warnock. ward and only companion
of the childless widow. So fresh, hon
est and charming was she, so typically
American, and in such refreshing con-
trast TO the ladies of his English ac-
quaintance, that she won en- Clare S
somewhat susceptible nature, and at
the time we speak he loved her with
the full strength OF q manly love, and
was not ashamed to admit it to HIM
self, although he had not as yet found
courage 10 tell it to Elna.
AS we said before, Glare was dressing
fol the evening party, and perhaps it
was the thought of meeting Elna that
caused his hand to tremDle and lose
its hold upon that fatelul collar-button,
and it fell.
Now, if it had not been for that mys-
terious lateral force exerted upon it,
Glare would have reached down,
picked it up. and this little tale would
doubtless never have been told. But
the lateral force was exerted. and no
sooner had the button reached the tioor,